


Steve Rogers x Tony Stark one shots (Superfamily)

by americanfightpuppy



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Steve x Tony - Freeform, Superfamily (Marvel), Superhusbands (Marvel), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark PTSD, steve rogers - Freeform, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-11 21:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7069996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americanfightpuppy/pseuds/americanfightpuppy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shots of Steve x Tony and superfamily</p><p>Since it's been a while that I've uploaded a chapter to my Stony fanfiction, I'll upload small shorts I write whenever.</p><p> </p><p>I'll put small warnings above chapters if they include anything notable, like graphic content, racist language or anything alike.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sleep issues.

**Author's Note:**

> Steve comes home in the middle of the night and realises Tony is still in his lab, so he goes downstairs to collect his boyfriend and get him to come to bed. Only, Tony had already drifted off to sleep in his working chair.

Steve silently walked down the stairs and entered Tony’s lab. Only one small lightbulb was lit, and Steve heard the sound of music playing quietly in the background. He blinked his eyes and walked to the light source.

Tony was sitting in his chair with his head tipped forward, resting on his chest. His eyes were closed, and his breathing regularly, indicating he was asleep. 

The engineers hands rested on his lap, a pencil still in his right fist. The desk was filled with diagrams, sketches and papers full of notes and questions. Steve wondered to himself why Tony had been using paper instead of his computer as usual, but he didn't think to much of it. The super soldier looked back at the sleeping man and smiled lightly to himself. 

Tony always looked really peaceful when he was sleeping. The man never allowed himself much sleep, which created situations like this, where he would fall asleep on random locations. 

Steve vaguely remembered that one time, he had even fallen asleep during an Avengers meeting. Natasha had been the first to notice, to no-one's surprise, and had motioned everyone to quietly hide under the desk. She had walked up behind Tony, slamming her hands on the wooden furniture, and yelled at him: 'THE ALIENS ARE BACK!' Tony had jumped up in utter fear, falling off his chair and rolling over the ground a few times. Whilst everyone was laughing their butts off, Tony had silently retreated to his own room. Steve had given Natasha a stern look before following the embarrassed man. 

Natasha would later learn from Steve that Tony was still struggling with PTSD from the alien invasion, and that after he had left, almost had had a panic attack, if it wasn't for Steve to calm him down.

The super soldier kneeled down and slowly stroke Tony's hair with his hand, waiting to see if he was going to wake up or not. The brunette didn't show any sign of consciousness, and Steve chuckled slightly. When Tony was asleep, he stayed asleep. 

Keeping an eye out for the papers scattered around, Steve gently lifted Tony under his knees and back, bridal style, and carried him upstairs. Tony's body rested against Steve's sturdy chest, his hand twitching every once in a while. Steve inhaled and bit his lip, entering the apartment. Tony must be dreaming, he thought, and he hoped it was a good dream. The billionaire was haunted by nightmares, which was the reason he refused to sleep much. He would frequently wake up screaming, instantly falling into a panic attack, unable to breath. It hurt Steve to see him like this, and he was trying everything in his power to stop this from happening. His presence seemed to reduce the nightmares, but they were yet to completely stop.

Steve reached the bedroom and used his elbow to open the door. The room was dark, but Steve's eyes quickly adjusted and he approached the bed. The super soldier gently laid Tony down and placed the blanket over his shoulder to his chin. He turned around to walk to the other side of the bed, pulled his shirt over his head and sat on the matrass next to his lover. 

Steve gently moved his fingers through Tony's brown curls, and lowered himself under the blanket. Tony, who was still sleeping, slightly rotated his body and relaxed his head on Steve's bicep, his hand resting on Steve's chest. 

The blonde smiled to himself. He placed his arm around Tony in return and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead before burying his nose in the brunette's sweet hair. 

Embracing his lover, Steve closed his eyes.

'I love you, Tony.'


	2. Not an early bird.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A normal morning for the superfamily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Superfamily one shot, Tony, Steve and Peter.

It was too early to be doing anything. Tony leaned on the stove, sipping his coffee as he waited for his brain to start working. 

Unexpectedly, he heard a loud bang as a door got slammed shut. The sleepy man slowly turned his head, but almost fell over as a person ran around him, grabbing most of the food that was located in the kitchen. Tony still had his eyes narrowed and somewhat tried to progress what was going on when an arm wrapped around his belly and a sandwich appeared in front of him.

‘Good morning.’ A much to awake Steve said, kissing Tony on the cheek as he walked off again, leaving the sandwich on the stove. Tony just stared at the piece of bread in confusion. He hadn’t registered most of what had happened the last minute, and honestly tried to figure out how the sandwich got there.

‘Calm down Peter, you don’t need to bring twelve sandwiches to school.’ Steve laughed, stealing some of Peter’s lunch for himself. Peter complained and threw his backpack at Steve, who barely budged at the hit. Tony took another sip of his coffee and just watched the two.

Man, mornings were hard.


	3. Who needs doors anyway?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Steve sometimes gets up on the wrong side of the bed. When this happens, he forgets what he is capable off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Superhusbands, with Peter as Tony's protégé.

Steve rubbed his eyes and got up from the bed, realising it was already past 12 in the morning. He walked to the door and exited the bedroom. Once he had entered the living room, he hard laughter and two voices talking. Confused, he looked around the corner.

Tony was sitting on the floor in front of the small living room table, and next to him was sitting Peter Parker, his protégé. They were both bowed over something, but Steve couldn’t really see what.

He took a few steps forward and noticed a few books that were, from what Steve could make out, for Spanish class. But that wasn’t what the two were working on. On the books stood some sort of device that Steve did not recognise, glowing blue light. 

Peter suddenly turned his head around, for no obvious reason, and looked at Steve with a somewhat shocked expression.

‘Oh, mister Rogers! Did we wake you?’ His voice got very polite, and a little hesitant. Tony turned his head too and looked at his husband. First, he had a happy look on his face, but it only took a split second for that to change into a frown.

‘Steve, dear.’ He pointed at the door in Steve’s hand, pulled out of the wall like it was nothing. ‘It happened again.’ 

Steve followed Tony’s pointing finger to his hand, realising he was holding the bedroom door.

‘Oh… You want me to…?’ Steve started, but got interrupted by Tony, who waved his hand. 

‘Nah, it’s fine. Just put it somewhere we won’t trip over it.’ Amusement was heard in his voice, as he secretly really enjoyed it whenever Steve did that. Steve gave a thumbs up and Tony turned back to the table.

‘FRIDAY, can you make Steve some coffee?’ 

‘Already done, sir.’


	4. And not a single fuck was given.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When luck isn't on your side, make sure to give a single fuck. Because karma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Superhusbands, Tony one shot.

Tony was lying in bed and held his phone up above him. Steve had fallen asleep already, but Tony didn’t feel like drifting off just yet. 

The light of the phone was really bright in the darkness, even on the lowest resolution. Yet, Steve seemed to be able to sleep through it. 

Tony yawned, still holding the phone up. As he did, the phone slipped from his hand and smacked him in the face. Tony groaned and sighed really long and annoyed, eyes closed against the bright light, too irritated by his own, stereotypical phone action to actually pick up the device.

He moved his hand to take the phone off his face a few seconds later, but before he could grab it, the device slipped off his face and fell on the floor with a banging sound, which meant the case and battery had fallen off . Tony stiffened and exhaled, wanting to slap himself in the face. 

The engineer sat up in his bed on his knees and placed one hand on the floor. He bent forward, legs still on the bed, and reached out in the darkness for the phone, mumbling curses to himself really quietly. 

But luck really wasn’t on Tony’s side. The engineers hand that leaned on the matrass slipped and he fell of the edge, crashing into the carpet.

Tony let out another long groan, his feet almost lying in his neck as his knees still leaned against the bed, arms spread on his sides awkwardly.

He was too tired to care. The brunette slammed his hand on the matrass, grabbed the pillow that lay at his knees and pulled it down to rest his head on it. After that he didn’t even bother lowering his feet or finding his phone. He just closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Steve laughed his butt off the next morning, as he found his husband lying on the ground, legs up in the air, drooling like a toddler with his phone laying just a few inches away from his face.


	5. Tony wants a dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony decides he wants a dog, but Steve has a different opinion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve x Tony
> 
> Conversation, teasing, love

'STEEVVEEE!' 

Steve jerked his head up as Tony suddenly called out for him. He sighed, put the book away and stood up to walk to the kitchen.

'What is it?' Steve asks, as he reaches the chair where Tony is sitting. Tony has a laptop in front of him, full with pictured of dogs. Steve instantly gets a bad feeling as he sees Tony's -in love- gaze, as if he is about to melt.

'I want a dog.' He whispered really enthousiastic, leaning his head back against Steve's arm. His eyes were wide, face super serious. Steve sighed and shook his head.

'No way Tony. We are not getting a dog.' He glanced at the screen again.

'WHY NOOOOT??' Tony called out, jerking his head up. 'Have you seen how adorable they are????' He violently pointed at the screen. Steve placed his hand on Tony's shoulder.

'Because I will have to take care of it.' Steve explained. 

'No! I will feed it and walk it all day and love it and give it hugs and treats.' The way Tony spoke gave Steve the idea that he had already figured it all out, already completely thought it through. 

'Tony, you don't even take proper care of yourself.' Steve reminded the engineer. Tony faked a hurt face. 

'How dare you.'

Steve chuckled and placed his arms around him.

'How about a hamster first, huh? If you prove you can take care of that, we'll get a dog.' Steve brushed his nose against Tony's cheek. Tony sighed, not happy that Steve didn't allow him a dog. But he had a fair point, as he wasn't familiar with owning a pet at all.

'Fine.' He muttered. 'But when I prove I can take care of that hamster, I get to pick the dog breed.' He said stubbornly, smirking to himself.

'Let me guess. A golden retriever?' Steve laughed, knowing too damn well what Tony was thinking right now.

'Yea, totally. And I already have a few names ready.' Tony turned his head to look at his boyfriend. Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes.

'Tell me.' He said amused. Tony turned his head, grabbed Steves face and made him look up, his hand moving through the air like he was pointing out a raindow.

'Freedom, liberty, capsicle, or, I like this one, spangly.' Tony's face shone in his own happiness, making sure to remind Steve of all his nicknames that either Tony himself, or the internet had given him. 

'You are so predictable.' Steve said, secretly smiling and enjoying Tony's cheerfullness.

'Oh, I'm not done.' Tony rose his voice and sat up straight in his chair.

'Captain Ice Age, starbutt, boss, Stars n' Striped, Goldilocks-' He was cut off by Steve who placed his hand over Tony's lips, pressing a kiss on his cheek at the same time 

'You stubborn bastard.' Steve whispered, chuckling. Tony blinked and shook his head roughly.

'Language, Steve!' The engineer muttered through Steve's fingers that were still planted on top of his own lips. Steve removed his hand and leaned in, kissing Tony lightly. The brunette smirked against Steve's lips and placed his arms around his lovers neck, pulling him closer.

When they pulled back, the two rested their foreheads against one another, looking into each others eyes. Tony smiled and whispered lovingly at the blonde.

'You will always be my favourite goldie though.'


	6. LGBT+

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Steve finds out about the LGBT+ movement of the 21st century, he decides to explore one of the gay bars, only to find a big surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some Steve and Tony fluff

Steve was standing in the shadows, glancing at the entrance of the bar. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest, and he had considered turning back. But he felt like if he didn’t enter the place, he would be dishonest to himself.

The super soldier took a deep breath, stepped out of the shadows and approached the bar. Loud music was heard from inside as he paced towards the entrance. A few people standing outside turned to look at him, some with confusion and some with surprised looks on their faces. He didn’t judge them; who would expect Captain America, the embodiment of the perfect American, to come to a gay bar?

Steve had reached the entrance, and ignored the stares from the people outside as he pushed the door open. Immediately, loud music blasted into his ears, and he was blinded with colourful lights. The blonde blinked and entered the building.

People were dancing and drinking all around him. Not many had eye for him, as they were all too busy enjoying themselves, and he was grateful for it.

He could spot a few couples kissing, a lot dancing, and small groups chatting with each other, and for some reason, he felt on his ease here. A small smile grew on his lips as he made his way through the crowd to the bar.

Steve was able to reach the bar and sat down on one of the chairs, looking around with amusement, until the bar tender approached him.

‘What can I get ya?’ He asked, not immediately looking at him. But when he did, his eyes widened and he lowered the glass in his hand.

‘Whoa, aren’t you Captain America?’ He asked in disbelieve. Steve rose his hand and shushed him, biting his teeth together.

‘Please don’t speak that loud. I don’t want to be recognized for that. I’m just here for the same reason as everyone else.’ He explained calmly, inhaling shakily. The last thing he wanted was to get a lot of attention, just because of the fact that he was Captain America. He came here to have fun as Steve Rogers, just some guy, nothing special.

‘You- are you gay?’ The bartender asked, stepping closer with a big grin on his lips. Steve shrugged awkwardly.

‘Bi-sexual.’ He muttered. The bartender nodded fiercely, stepping back again.

‘I’ll keep it down, dude. How about a drink?’ He grinned at the soldier, enjoying this just a little too much. Steve chuckled and ordered a beer, paid and took a sip, when something pulled his attention.

‘Steve?’

The blonde felt his body stiffen as someone called his name. Shit. He had been recognized. Wait, by who? Obviously someone that was used to calling him Steve. So it had to be someone he knew.

Hesitantly, Steve looked over his shoulder, and stiffened again as he saw who had been responsible for calling his name.

Anthony Edward Stark, his teammate, stood behind him, holding up a glass with a wine of some sorts, looking down upon the sitting blonde with surprise in his eyes.

The brunette was wearing a grey suit with a red shirt underneath and a brown tie. His hair was smoothed back, and shone a little in the light.

‘Tony? You here?’ Steve mumbled quickly, slightly startled. He had not expected Tony to be in these kind of bars.

‘I was just about to ask you the same thing.’ Tony said, taking place in the seat next to Steve. The blonde bit his lip and shrugged, smirking awkwardly.

‘I just found out about the whole LGBT movement today, and I wanted to see it with my own eyes.’ He gave a brief explanation, looking down at Tony’s drink to avoid eye contact. Steve saw his hand twitch a little as the brunette chuckled.

‘So, you’re…’

‘Bi-sexual.’ Steve filled it in for the brunette, looking up again. Tony was smirking widely, his eyes slightly narrowed.

‘Interesting.’ He spoke softly, and Steve felt a blush crawl over his face. The blonde turned his head away, feeling fluttered, and took another sip of his beer. He felt his heart sparkle a little, and got reminded of his stupid crush on the engineer. He had, for weeks, convinced himself that the brunette would never feel the same way to him, hell, he hadn’t even know the man wasn’t straight. The way Tony spoke to him wasn’t unfamiliar, he had experienced it before with the engineer, but he never thought anything of it. Or rather, he again convinced himself this, as Tony was very well known as a player. But now that Steve was here, in a gay bar, admitting that he liked guys, the flirting felt a lot different.

Steve was pulled out of his thoughts as he realized Tony was leaning away, talking to a guy on his side. He was chatting cheerfully, eyes sparkling with joy, as he slammed his hand on the bar, cracking up with the same man. Steve couldn’t help but feel jealous.

He could make his move now. He had proof Tony liked men as well, and it was the perfect opportunity. Nobody would even pay attention to them in the thick crowd of people. But what if Tony turned him down? What if he wasn’t good enough for the engineer? Would he be able to still fight alongside with him?

Steve shook his head and stood up, pulling Tony’s attention. The music had changed to a slow song, and Steve knew this was indeed the perfect opportunity. The blonde put on a smile, and held out his hand.

‘Do you want to dance?’ He asked, just going for it.

Tony was startled, looking down at Steve’s hand, before moving his gaze up to his face. His eyes were slightly widened in disbelieve, until the guy next to him poked him and whispered in his ear.

‘Go for it man.’

Steve could just hear it, and he saw the smirk on the man’s face. Tony very lightly nodded to himself, took Steve’s hand and smiled at him.

‘I would love too.’

Steve guided Tony to the dance floor and gently placed his free hand on Tony’s back, pulling him in a little closer. The brunette allowed Steve to take the lead. Their faces were close to each other, and chests almost touched. Steve had made sure to ask Natasha to teach him how to dance before ever deciding to go to the bar, but he hadn’t thought he would feel this relieved that he had made the decision of learning it.

Tony smirked to himself and placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

‘I didn’t know you could dance, mister Rogers.’ He whispered in Steve’s ear. The blonde chuckled as he moved his body to the rhythm of the music.

‘Natasha taught me.’ Steve briefly explained, inhaling quietly. Tony surprised him by gently pressing their cheeks together.

‘Remind me to thank her later.’

Steve felt a jolt shoot through his spine. Tony’s voice sounded so unbelievable aroused, so low, and it was a huge turn on for Steve. He pulled the brunette a bit closer, and breathed in the nice scent of his cologne. This felt good. He enjoyed this; Tony in his arms, slow-dancing, everything. It felt more than right. It felt like this was supposed to be.

They danced for about an hour, looking each other in the eyes for most of the time. Only a few words were exchanged, but they didn’t need to speak.

Their bodies said enough.


	7. Insecure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Tony and Steve are in a committed relationship, but Tony gets insecure about himself when Bucky shows up.
> 
>  
> 
> Insecure!Tony

Tony leaned against the doorpost, arms crossed over his chest, as he watched Steve and Bucky. They were laughing together, catching up on what happened, bonding. Steve seemed really happy. He and Bucky had spent days together. Steve was showing his friend the future, what had changed, told him stories of all the amazing people he had met along the way. 

Tony should be happy too. He should feel grateful for Bucky’s return. Bucky managed to cheer Steve up in a way he was never able too. Steve seemed like he felt as if his life was taking a turn for the better since his long lost friend had returned. Like it was complete now, or at least closer to complete. 

But Tony could only feel sorrow. Steve didn’t realise Tony felt neglected, ignored. The engineer had barely seen his lover in days, only from security cameras, and the times Steve showed up at his lab or office because he wanted to ask something. 

He had slowly been feeling his heart sink deeper and deeper. Steve seemed to have lost all interest in Tony, like the only person he could see was Bucky.

Tony’s eyes watered up. He turned his head away and quietly left the room, without Steve even knowing he had been standing there. The soldier was too busy talking to his friend. 

The brunet scuffled through the building, his eyes hard, expression numb. His feet carried him to his lab, stopping in front of his armour. He slowly lifted his head, eyes watery. 

He couldn’t be here any longer. He wanted to be alone, alone to drown in his sadness. 

The engineer got inside of his armour and it turned on.

‘Where do you want to go, sir?’ JARVIS asked. Tony closed his eyes and exhaled shakily. 

‘Malibu. Home.’ His voice cracked, and he bit his tongue to force back his tears. JARVIS scheduled a flight route and went silent, waiting for orders. Tony opened his eyes again and turned his flight power on, soaring up into the air and shooting out of the tower. When his super speed was activated, an explosion-like sound was heard throughout New York, and shivered the building because of the power it thrusted out. Tony didn’t care. Steve was probably too busy to notice anyway.

When Tony reached the Malibu mansion, he landed on his own doormat, the door automatically opening for him, and he stepped in. He went down to his workshop before getting out of his suit, which walked by itself to its respectful spot in the middle of the room and went into sleep mode.

Tony stumbled to his desk and placed his hands on the cold metal. His body was shaking, and he lowered his head, closing his eyes. The engineer inhaled deeply and walked over to the collection of cars, settling down in the first in reach. 

This particular car had no roof on top, as it was lain flat on the back, light blue with comfortable seats. 

Tony sat down in it, leaning back and staring at the steering wheel. His hands lay in his lap, and he felt a shiver run through his spine. The workshop was freezing cold, as he hadn’t been here in a while now, and he never told JARVIS to warm it up before coming. And he wasn’t planning too. Frankly, he didn’t really care. Goosebumps formed all over his body, he was shivering in the cold air and still he just sat there, staring at the steering wheel.

‘Sir, your body temperature is dropping. Shall I turn on the heating?’ 

Tony blinked and shook his head lightly. ‘It’s fine JARVIS. Keep it this way.’

‘Alright sir. Also, you have two missed calls.’ A window opened right in front of Tony, reflecting off the car window, shining bright blue light and showing that the two missed calls were from Steve. There also were two voicemails, which Tony didn’t seem to notice at first.

‘Delete all.’ Tony whispered, turning his head away.

‘Play the voicemails?’ 

‘Delete. All. JARVIS.’ Tony pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face in his legs. JARVIS did what him was told, and the window closed. 

‘Are you sure you are alright, sir?’ After a few minutes of silence, JARVIS spoke out of the sudden, something causing Tony to flinch. JARVIS sounded concerned, as if he knew something was wrong. 

Tony sighed and raised his head a little.

‘JARVIS, do you remember the time I was kidnapped and gone for a few months?’ Tony didn’t quite answer his AI’s question yet. Instead, he asked one himself.

‘Of course, sir. It was a relief to see you return home unharmed.’ 

Tony nodded his head slightly, continuing his story.

‘I wasn’t here. Pepper was. Rhodey was too. But yet, you felt alone. Because I wasn’t here.’ JARVIS had somewhat kept a journal in the days he was gone. The AI had described feeling purposeless, how Tony’s chances of returning safe grew smaller and smaller, and that he was actually afraid of losing him. Tony had been deeply touched by this, realising JARVIS actually cared for him more than just as a boss, and also had been pretty proud as JARVIS was his creation. But that feeling of being left alone, that was almost the same as Tony had been feeling the last couple of weeks.

‘I’m afraid, JARVIS.’ It took him a while to get it out. He didn’t want to say it. It would make him look weak, and he didn’t want to be weak. He was Tony stark, the genius billionaire. He had been through so much, outlived all kinds of horrible situations and memories. He’d had more near-dead experiences than most of the team. His youth was filled with disappointment and hard times. He had been dumped by Pepper, his loved ones have been threatened with death, and yet he was still here. He had managed to drag himself, and his family and friends through. But this thing, yet another shitty situation, broke him. It really got to him.

‘Afraid of what, If I may ask, sir?’ 

Tony clenched his fists around his legs, tensing his muscles.

‘Afraid to lose Steve.’ 

He closed his eyes and let a few tears roll over his cheeks. He hated to think about it. Losing him. 

Never before had felt Tony like this. He had felt like he had found a real partner in Steve. Someone he could spend the rest of his life with. Someone who really loved him. But all of that had faded since Bucky appeared in the picture. 

He could barely believe his own mind. He had never felt so bad about a possible break up, never felt so crushed by only the idea of losing someone. His break up with Pepper had been tough, but he had soon accepted it was better this way. She deserved someone more stable than him. Someone that could provide her safety, love. Someone that didn’t put their life on stake every time they left for work. 

But Steve was different. He was an Avengers himself. If he were to put himself in danger, Tony would be there to pull his ass out of it, and the other way around. And not only did Steve save him from physical danger. He saved him from his own mind, when his thoughts were corrupt, and he wanted to take his own life. Steve was the reason he was still alive and breathing.

Tony opened his eyes and rose his hand against the glass window, a small screen popping up as he did. The brunet paused, gaze lowering. He took a deep breath and looked up again, hovering his hand over the screen. He pressed on a map, which had been hidden in the files, and required a password to open. Tony pressed his hand against the screen. His fingerprints were scanned and the map opened, revealing dozens of pictures. 

Tony exhaled silently and scrolled through the row of photos, his hand heavy and on the edge of tears. It were pictures of him and Steve. 

‘Sir, I can assure you that your fears are unnecessary.’ 

Tony froze, his hand still hovering on the screen.

‘How would you know?’ Tony asked, maybe a little too sharp. 

‘Because I told him.’ 

Tony jerked his head up, staring right in Steve’s blue eyes. The brunet hastily moved his hand down, closing the map and turning the screen off at the same time.

Tony narrowed his eyes and turned his head away.

‘Why are you here?’ He whispered, refusing to look up at the man. ‘Shouldn’t you be with Bucky?’ Tony really tried to keep his sarcasm down, as he didn’t want Steve to think he was jealous. 

A sigh was heard from Steve, and Tony felt the super soldiers hand landing on his shoulder. 

‘Tony, what is wrong? I saw you flying off without saying a word, so I followed you.’ He hoped Tony would look up at him, but instead, he found the engineer shaking his hand off and shuffling a little away from him, wrapping his arms around his chest. This was enough to tell Steve that something was indeed very wrong.

‘Talk to me, Tony.’ Steve wanted to sit down next to the brunet, but Tony turned his head and looked at him with cold eyes. 

‘Just go back to New York, back to Bucky. That’s all you want, isn’t it? Why even bother following me here if you could be there with him right now, telling stories about ‘the avengers’ and how ‘amazing this century is’, or whatever.’ Tony snapped, jumping out of the car on the other side. He walked around it, staying at least five feet away from Steve, and tried to reach the stairs. He just wanted to go to his bedroom and lock himself away.

Steve looked at him wide eyed, completely dumbfounded of what the brunet had just said. He darted over to him and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn around.

‘What are you talking about, Tony…?’ His voice was quiet, slightly shivering. Tony looked up at him, his eyes filled with tears.

‘You know damn what I am talking about! It’s about you and that Bucky!’ He struggled and tried to free himself, but Steve was much stronger, not allowing Tony to run off. 

‘Let me go, Steve!’ He yelled, his head lowered and his eyes closed tightly. 

‘Not before you explain me what you are talking about.’ Steve tried to keep his voice calm and low. His heart was pounding loud in his chest, as he really had to keep himself from just hugging the brunet.

Tony turned his head away and bared his teeth, a tear rolling over his cheek. Steve could barely watch him like this. Tony never cried.

‘I’m talking about you loving Bucky more than me.’ His muscles went numb, and he just stood there, eyes closed and head turned away, trying so hard to keep his tears from escaping. Steve found himself breathless, progressing what Tony had just said.

‘Tony, where did you get that idea?’ Steve leaned closer to the brunet, his eyes serious and his grip tightening around Tony’s arm. He felt his heart drop at Tony’s crushed expression, and from that moment, he was drowning in guilt.

‘You have spent days with him, only him. You barely looked at me for the last couple of weeks. I…’ his hands clenched to fists, ‘I felt abandoned.’ His voice had rapidly dropped in volume. The engineer felt Steve’s grip loosen, as the soldier felt his limbs turn to stone. He wanted to hit himself. How could he have not noticed this? How could he have been so oblivious to Tony’s feelings? Had he really ignored Tony the last weeks?

Tony opened his eyes and took his chance, pulling his arms free from Steve’s grip. He immediately turned around and dashed to the stairs, trying to get away from Steve as quick as he could.

‘Tony, please, wait!’ 

Steve ran after Tony, who had already made it upstairs. He saw the brunet slip into his room as he reached the ground level. 

Tony closed the door behind him, knowing damn well that this would make no difference at all as he wasn’t locking it, and lay down on his bed, not even bothering to pull up the blanket. He felt paralyzed. His body couldn’t handle it. His limbs were weak, unable to carry him any longer. His mind was cloudy, and he was tired. So tired. 

Steve inhaled and opened the door quietly. He saw Tony’s silhouette on the bed, his back turned to Steve, not moving at all. The soldier felt his heart pounding as he approached the bed, kneeling down before it. He gently placed his hand on Tony’s arm, feeling how cold he was. This time, he couldn’t fight the urge anymore. The big blonde climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Tony’s shivering body. 

Tony stiffened, his muscles tense, but he didn’t fight it. The brunet felt weak, as if he just didn’t have the strength to fight against Steve’s warm embrace. It worried the soldier.  
Steve buried his face in Tony’s neck, feeling the silent sobs that came from the brunet that were sending shivers down his spine. The blonde exhaled and nuzzled his nose against his lovers neck, closing his eyes.

‘Bucky and I are just friends. I love you Tony.’ He whispered, feeling Tony’s rapid heartbeat against his arms. The brunet went quiet. He had his eyes closed, yet, a few tears were rolling down his cheeks.

‘I saw you two… You haven’t left his side in days…’ Tony’s voice was cracked, quiet and filled with sorrow. His hands were shaking, and he hated himself for acting so vulnerable. 

Steve sighed silently and placed a gentle kiss on Tony’s neck.

‘I have known Bucky my whole life. He was my best friend, and I was convinced he had passed away. Yet, years later, in the future, he shows up again. Experimented on, confused  
and helpless. Even less aware of everything that happened around him than I was.’ Steve took a deep breath, and waited a second, trying to read Tony, which was nearly impossible. ‘I was the only person he recognised. I wanted to help him adapt to 21st century. Just like you helped me.’ 

Steve opened his eyes and looked at Tony, gently rubbing his thumb over the brunet’s belly. 

‘I love you, Tony. I love you more than anything in this world, and I would never leave you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ 

The blonde placed another kiss on Tony’s neck. The brunet twitched, and slowly turned around in Steve’s embrace, meeting the soldiers gaze with the saddest eyes Steve had ever seen.

‘Do you mean that?’ He whispered. Steve gave his lover the warmest smile he could produce, and rested his forehead against Tony’s.

‘Do I ever lie?’ 

Tony looked at him a few seconds, before closing his eyes and lowering his head.

‘Oh god… I’m such an idiot…’ He whispered, almost inarticulate. Tony’s hands clenched to a fist and he exhaled shakily. He was such a fucking idiot. He fell for his own insecurities. He was stupid enough to let his mind pull him into the dark pit. 

Steve shushed Tony and hugged him, burying his face in the crook of Tony’s neck. 

‘It’s okay. I should’ve payed more attention to you.’ The blonde inhaled deeply, taking in Tony’s scent, and pulled the engineer closer into an even warmer embrace. Tony bit his tongue, hugged Steve back and hid his face in the blonde’s shoulder. 

A small smile formed on Steve’s lips. He didn’t let go of Tony. The two laid there until Tony had fallen asleep, which didn’t take longer than a few seconds. His own mind had exhausted him, and Steve was relieved he was allowing himself the rest.

Once he was sure Tony was in a deep sleep, he took his phone out of his pocket and texted Bucky to inform him on what had happened. His friend replied a few minutes later, telling the soldier that he should be spending the next few days with Tony only. Steve wanted to go against him, but Bucky was quicker, and assured him he would be fine. Natasha was around to help him whenever he needed guidance, and Tony really needed the certainty about Steve being serious about their relationship. 

Steve sighed and agreed, thanking Bucky for being so understanding. 

/Of course punk./

Steve grinned and put the phone away so he had his hands free to hug Tony again. He rested his chin on the crown of the brunet’s head and closed his eyes as well. 

‘I love you, shell head.’


	8. Nightmares.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's panic attacks return.
> 
> PTSD!Tony, Panic attacks/PTSD

It was screaming that woke up Steve.

 

‘Stop! Please… NO! I’M SORRY!’ 

Tony’s body was jerking almost in a spastic way, hands gripping tight around the blanket. His back arched up, teeth bared as he let out a sharp yell in despair. Steve shot up in the bed, eyes widened as he glared at Tony.

The brunette was sharply turning his head from right to left, tears streaming over his cheeks, body thrashing around and his breathing heavy. His knuckles were red of the   
tenseness of his grip around the blanket, and whenever his mouth wasn’t wide open in a heart-breaking scream, whimpering and sobbing would come from the man.

‘Tony! Tony, wake up!’ Steve grabbed the brunettes broad shoulders and shook him, his own eyes filled with worry. Tony’s hands let go of the blanket and entangled in Steve’s shirt, digging into the super soldiers skin. His mouth and eyes spread open and he gasped deeply, pupils wide in terror. Steve pulled the man up into a sitting position and embraced him tightly, burying his face in the crook of the brunette’s neck. Tony’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he found himself frozen for at least half a minute.

‘Steve?’ He stuttered, staring down the super soldiers back, his trembling hands landing around his waist. 

‘It’s okay Tony.’ Steve whispered, kissing the brunette lightly in his neck. Tony’s body was shivering, and still somewhat shocking like before.

‘You’re here… You’re alive and you’re here and you’re…’ Tony mumbled quietly to himself, his eyes still widened and his hands slightly hovering over Steve’s back.

‘I’m here Tony. I’m okay. You’re okay. We are safe now.’ Steve shushed his anxious lover, knowing all too well that Tony had just experienced a panic attack in his sleep. The super soldier felt his heart crumble at the thought. Tony had promised he didn’t suffer from the attacks in the night, not anymore. He had ensured him that he didn’t need to worry, that he too could sleep entire nights without being tortured by his own mind. But this was before the events of Ultron, and Steve felt the hope he had gathered in his gut flush away as he realised that Tony was back at the start again.

Tony hesitantly placed his arms around Steve’s chest and hugged him back, letting out a shaky breath as he stared down at the feet of the bed. 

Steve kissed the brunette in his neck again, gently rubbing his fingers over his back. He sat that way for another minute, waiting until the man in his arms stopped shaking and sobbing, before letting go to look him in the eyes.

‘I-I’m so s-sorry Steve…’ Tony’s voice cracked as he noticed the pain in the blondes eyes. He bared his teeth and turned his head away, hands still entangled with Steve’s shirt. 

The super soldier shushed him again and took the brunette’s chin in his hand, turning his head so he could look him in the eyes.

‘It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize for something you can’t control.’ He placed his hands on either side of Tony’s face and wiped a tear from the brunette’s cheek. ‘We can get through this. We did before, and we’ll do it again.’ 

Tony gaped at him for a few seconds before sighing. He felt like he didn’t deserve Steve, someone who was as supportive and as faithful as him. Tony remembered the months after the alien invasion, where he had had panic attacks almost every night, and Steve had been there to calm him down. Steve had pulled Tony and himself through one of the darkest times of Tony’s life, as he had lost a lot of his confidence and had refused to sleep for weeks. Steve had been the only person Tony had allowed to get to look inside his head, the only person he confided with his deepest and darkest thoughts and fears. Yet, he remained beside the engineer, faithful and loyal as he had ever been, always there for the brunette whenever he needed him.

He couldn’t help but feel that the blonde deserved better than him. Deserved someone a lot more stable than him, who he could settle down with, someone with whom he could have at least a few peaceful nights. But he knew that if he would even try to bring up that subject again, Steve would immediately cut him off. The super soldier hated it whenever Tony spoke about himself as if he wasn’t ‘worth it’, because to him, he was worth the world. He would do anything for the brunette, something Tony didn’t seem to get through his thick skull. This hurt Steve, as all he wanted was for Tony to see how important he really was too him.

‘I love you, Steve’ Tony whispered, embracing the soldier again. Steve laid Tony and himself down and pulled the brunette as close as physically possible, somewhat reassuring himself that he was okay as well. Steve kept telling himself that, as long as he was here, he could help Tony. He could calm him down, comfort him through the panic attacks and support him. 

‘I love you too Tony.’ He whispered, placing a kiss on the crown of the brunette’s head. Tony looked at his hands, which were pushed up in front of him on Steve’s chest, and bit his lip.

‘I don’t want to sleep anymore, Steve.’ After a few short minutes of silence, Tony finally opened his mouth to say what had been on his mind. He was utterly terrified of the panic attacks, and even only thinking about the possibility of having another one was enough to send shivers down his spine.

Steve moved his hand up and down Tony’s neck, and exhaled against his shoulder.

‘That’s okay. I know something.’

 

‘This better?’ Steve asked, pushing himself forward in the warm water, his arms laying around Tony’s waist. The brunette leaned his head against Steve’s and smiled to himself, feeling overwhelmed with love and happiness.

‘Yes.’ He whispered, relief dripping off of him. His wet curls hang in front of his eyes, but weren’t long enough to cover the red blush on his cheeks. Tony’s lips brushed over Steve’s lips, which pulled up in a smile against Tony’s skin as he answered.

‘We’ll stay up all night.’


	9. I did that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I wake up with an enormous hangover and you reminded me how I designed an entire airplane last night.  
> Fandom: Marvel MCU, Marvel Comics  
> Pairing: StevexTony  
> Wordcount: 1054  
> Warnings: Fluff, hangover.  
> Genre: Domestic fluff

Tony groaned. His head was pounding and he felt like throwing up. The brunet opened his eyes and stared at the digital clock on his nightstand. Eleven PM.

The engineer placed his hands over his temples and closed his eyes again, but the headache remained the same.

God, he hated hangovers.

Tony swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rested his head in his hand, leaning on his knee. He sat there in silence for a whole minute before forcing himself to his legs.

Painkillers. He craved painkillers.

The brunet stumbled to the door, his hand pressed against the wall to prevent himself from falling over, and exited the bedroom.

Tony whimpered as the sharp daylight that shone into the hallway blinded him. He pressed his eyes shut and used both hands to navigate through the apartment. When he reached the kitchen, he carefully opened one eye, slowly allowing it to adjust to the blinding light.

The first thing he saw was Steve standing at the kitchen table, glancing at Tony with an amused grin on his face. Tony grumbled something to himself as he scuffled to the cabinets, planning to take out a bunch of medicine. But he got interrupted in his actions when Steve wrapped his hands around Tony’s stomach, hugging him from behind and planting a few gentle kisses in his neck.

‘Uhhrr… Noh now… Hmppff…Hea’ poundin’…’ Tony mumbled, most of the words not even audible. Steve grinned against Tony’s neck. He removed his hands and leaned to the right. Tony furrowed his eyebrows as he saw Steve picking up a plate with some toast and a glass of water.

‘Here. The water has painkillers dissolved in them.’ He said warmly, a smile on his smug face. Tony muttered some random sounds and took the water, drinking it all in one go. Once the glass was empty, he placed it down and scuffled to the kitchen table, where he fell in one of the chairs and buried his face in his arms on the furniture. Steve chuckled and approached Tony again with the plate of toast.

‘Take a slice, it’ll help with your blood pressure.’ Steve sat down beside his lover and held out the plate. Tony’s arm swung up from under his head, almost smacking the plate off the table, grabbed a slice and pulled it back. Steve heard the brunet munching from under his arms.

‘Steve…’ The engineer groaned, lifting his head again. He had a few bread crumbs around his lips and in his goatee, and his hair was pointing in a thousand directions.

‘Steve…. What happened yesterday…?’ Tony’s glassy eyes met Steve’s, and he blinked slowly, giving the idea that he was high on pot. He groaned again and dropped his forehead on the table, his right hand resting on Steve’s forearm.

The blonde chuckled and petted Tony’s brown curls.

‘Well, Rhodey came over yesterday after being on duty for months and you threw a party for him. The whole team came by, you invited more people, and it kind of became the biggest party of the year.’

Steve looked around the destroyed apartment. He was a little irritated about the fact that he would have to clean all the mess up, maybe even buy new furniture, but he had to admit that it had been one heck of a party. Tony really knew how to outlive himself, and his parties were always the best.

‘Around two in the morning, you gathered everyone for a drinking contest, yelling that Thor and I couldn’t join, and together with Natasha, Clint and Bruce drank the entire stock of wine in the building.’ He continued petting Tony’s hair until the brunet looked up at him, his face serious.

‘Who won?’

Steve chuckled. Tony could be a little too competitive sometimes, and even though he was now suffering the consequences of the contest, he still cared about who won. Steve was still amazed by Tony sometimes.

‘It was close. Bruce stopped after the 3th round, Rhodey after the 4th, Clint reached 6. Natasha, well, I guess we can blame it on her being Russian, but she gave in after the 10th shot. You broke your own record, then proceeded to grab your tablet and design an entire airplane.’ The super soldier reached to the other end of the table and took Tony’s tablet in his hand, turning it on and showing the design Tony had made. The brunet narrowed his eyes and took the tablet from Steve, inspecting the design.

‘What the heck… This is actually pretty good…’ His hand hovered over the screen, dumbfounded by what his drunken counterpart had created. Steve laughed, stood up and hugged Tony from behind.

‘Great. Drunken Tony is smarter than normal Tony.’ The engineer muttered, placing down the tablet. Steve muzzled his nose against Tony’s neck and placed another gentle kiss.

‘That’s not true. Drunken Tony just thinks differently than normal Tony. You’re still the smartest out of the two. Sober Tony wouldn’t try stuffing me in a suit of armour.’ He turned Tony’s head to face him and caressed his lips over Tony’s. The brunet chuckled and threw his arm around Steve’s neck, looking down at the tablet again.

‘I did that? Ugh, my brain feels as if it has been boiled right now.’ He rested his head on Steve’s shoulder and closed his eyes, hoping the painkillers would kick in soon.

The super soldier wrapped his arms around Tony, picked him up and carried him to the living room so he could place the brunet down on the couch.

‘Just rest for a while. You’ll feel better after some sleep.’ He gently lowered his lover on the soft couch and pressed a kiss on his forehead. Tony mumbled something, grabbed Steve’s hand and tugged it.

‘Stay please.’ He muttered, making eye contact. Steve smiled warmly and nodded. He sat down beside the brunet and pulled him onto his lap. Tony settled down on his broad chest and closed his eyes.

‘You’re a nice pillow.’ Tony whispered, his fingers grasping Steve’s shirt.

‘And you’re a nice blanket.’ Steve responded, petting Tony’s brown curls. The engineer mumbled something to himself, his mind drifting off. Steve chuckled and placed his arms over Tony, holding him in a protective embrace.

This was nice.


	10. At home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic
> 
> Song: Wayfaring Stranger  
> Given characters: Tony Stark  
> Fandom: Marvel MCU, Marvel Comics  
> Summary: Tony has been kicked out of college and his life is going down hill. He messes up a few jobs and companies stop hiring him. The brunet refuses to accept help from his father, but realises that, in the end, he may not have a choice.  
> Wordcount: 3520  
> Warnings: None
> 
> No shipping involved in this fic

Tony walked across the street, holding a box in his hands. His eyes were narrowed, body shivering because of the cold winter air that penetrated the thick hoody and joggings he was wearing. His eyes scanned the city, and he tried to ignore the stares he was getting.

The box that the brunet was holding contained his most important, personal belongings. It was all he owned. Because of some debts against him, he had to sell almost everything worth anything, including electronics, his car and even his house.

It had been four days, and Tony had dragged himself from motel to motel, clinging to the stupid box as if his life depended on it, which was sort of the truth.

The brunet was a mess. His clothes were old and saggy, his hair was poking in a thousand directions and he had bags under his eyes. He looked like the stereotypical homeless guy, and he despised it.

College almost looked like a paradise compared to how he lived now. He’d had a nice room, friends to talk too, food and snacks whenever he felt like it; even a job. But that was until his grades started dropping. Tony had gotten bored in his classes. It was too easy for him and he acted out of hand. His behaviour worsened, he destroyed school property and got the police called on him multiple times.

He was thrown out of college after that. Tony had been extremely angry, but once his dad got a word about this, hell broke loose. Howard was furious that his only son got kicked out of college, and he tried to force him into applying to multiple different schools. Tony, stubborn as ever, refused and instead tried out his luck by taking a job for an engineering company. He broke off contact with his father, and for time being, all went well.

Tony didn’t concentrate on his work enough though. He was still in the same mindset as he was in college, which would lead into him getting fired. This happened two more times, and eventually, the media picked up on Howard Stark’s son’s failure. It became trending, everyone spoke about it, and Tony became more and more miserable. Yet, he didn’t accept any help from his parents. His mother had tried to reach out to him almost every day, but Tony just got rid of his phone and laptop, making it unable for his parents to find him.

But Tony was getting desperate. He could count all his money on two hands, no company wanted to hire him anymore and he didn’t even have a house to return to after a long day of doing nothing but searching for a job.

The brunet was running out of options.

Tony stopped and looked up to the enormous building across the street. He felt his heart turn to stone and he considered turning back, even though he was well aware that wasn’t really a possibility. His mind was surrounded by a dark cloud, and he wanted to throw up. The brunet inhaled deeply and waited for the pedestrian streetlight to turn to white before crossing the street. His hands were trembling, and his instincts told him to turn around and get out of there. He saw this as defeat, crawling back to his father and admitting he had failed. And every single cell in his body wanted him to try again, wanted him to do whatever it took so that he didn’t have to show his parents he couldn’t manage on his own. But he had already tried everything. Done everything he could to avoid this moment. And maybe there was a chance that, with the help of his father and the company, he could grow, expand and create his own future. A brighter one than he had in sight now.

The brunet tightened his grip around the box and pushed the glass door open with his shoulder. Immediately, the all too familiar smell of Stark Industries pierced his nostrils, creating a shiver down his spine. He took a deep breath and continued walking to the elevator.

Almost nothing had changed since the last time he had come here. The building was still the most advanced structure in the city, and had a sci-fi, star-wars effect with small lights and moving subjects all around. The lobby was decorated with all kinds of inventions his father had made throughout the years, which appeared as impressive to visitors, but were nothing special to Tony. When he was a teenager, he would come here frequently to study the inventions, and even make some adjustments in their design. Not on the actual device, his father didn’t let him touch them, but on paper.

The elevator doors opened, and Tony let out a sigh in relief as he saw it was empty. He still knew exactly which floor had what purpose, and he clicked on the button of one of the top floors. These floors were personal, including his parents apartment and Howard’s workshop, and could only be reached by entering a password.

Tony bit his lip and hoped his father hadn’t changed the password while he was typing it, awkwardly pressing the box between the closed door and his chest so it wouldn’t fall and scatter his stuff all over the elevator. To his surprise, the password he remembered worked and the elevator went up.

Even though Tony despised being back here, he was looking forward to seeing his mother again. She was the only person he still really cared about, as all his friends had abandoned him after he left college, and his father… well, Tony had mixed feelings about him. But his mother was a different story. Tony almost smiled at the thought of seeing her again, but the smile was repressed by the realisation that Howard would probably be there as well.

After what felt like forever, the elevator reached the right floor and the doors opened. To his surprise, his mother was already waiting for him.

‘Anthony!’ She squealed, her lips pulled up in the brightest smile he had seen in years. She pounced at him like a lioness at a zebra and pulled him into a hug, not minding the box in between them.

‘Hey mom…’ Tony muttered, unable to hug her back as he didn’t want to drop the box. Maria let go of her son and leaned back, still grasping her hands on his shoulders.

‘I’m so glad you came back! I missed you so much!’ She eyed him over and took in his clothing. Her eyes went dull for a split second, as she was reminded of Tony’s financial state, but quickly pushed it away and looked him in the eyes again with the cheerful shine in her own orbs.

‘Oh dear, you poor thing. Come on in, I bought you some new clothes.’ She didn’t even wait for Tony’s response, and pulled the brunet with her to the living room.

‘Mom, what are you…’ Tony tried talking to her, but she shushed him. He didn’t like how she had spoken to him as if he was an injured young animal, ‘poor thing’, and tried to wave her off. But it wasn’t Howard he had gained all his stubbornness from, and she set him down on the couch in the living room.

Tony sighed and placed the box on the floor in front of him. The house hadn’t changed much. There were a few different decorations, a new table and more advanced technology. But compared to what he remembered, a lot was still like it was a decennia ago.

‘Stay here Tony, I’ll get you some tea. The clothes are on the table, just look through them and say if you like them or not.’ Maria smiled warmly at him, her voice slightly giving away that she was worried he would leave if she went into the kitchen. Tony nodded reassuringly at her and got up to look at the pile of clothes. Maria left the living room and Tony sighed to himself.

The clothes were overall fine, but Tony felt uneasy about the idea of accept them. Again, it would emphasize his defeat. Nothing in the world would ever make him feel at ease with accepting his failure.

Tony placed the clothes back on the table as Maria entered the living room again with two cups in her hands.

‘Do you like them?’ She asked, handing Tony one cup. The brunet gently took the tea and looked down on the fluid.

‘Yea, they’re fine.’ He glanced at his box and exhaled.

‘Tony, are you okay?’ Maria asked concerned, sitting down next to her son and placing her hand on his knee. Tony quickly nodded and looked at her.

‘Dad probably enjoys this, doesn’t he?’ He asked after a few quiet seconds, avoiding his mother’s gaze. Maria rubbed Tony’s knee and shook her head.

‘No, of course not Tony. Why would you think that?’

Tony shrugged and tightened the grip around his cup, steam soaring up from the boiling hot substance.

‘Because he was right all along, and he always enjoyed it whenever I failed something because I didn’t listen to him.’ The brunet bit his teeth together and took a sip from the tea, thinking back to the calls he’d had with Howard after being kicked out of college. Maria shook her son out of his thoughts by placing her arm over his shoulder.

‘I’ll admit Howard likes being right, but he is your father Tony. He cares about you, and you worry him. He may behave hard and stern around you, but that is how he handles his own stress. He only wants what is best for you.’ She waited for her son to look at her and smiled warmly. Tony sighed and nodded, still unsure what to think.

A small light started blinking above the elevator doors which caused Maria and Tony to look up.

‘That must be your father coming.’ She said, a little cheerful again. Tony’s mother was hopeful that her son and husband would make up, that they could form a bond like they had when he was just a little boy. Howard used to play with his son, tinker with the little boy that enjoyed his father’s hobby and job to the fullest. Tony inspired him. But that changed when Tony grew older. As teenager, the brunet was growing really stubborn, and did the opposite of what his parents told him to do. It made Maria desperate, but Howard couldn’t stand that kind of behaviour. He expected his son to be a fine young man, a child other parents would respect and be jealous off. And the more Tony abandoned that picture Howard had created, the more the engineer distanced himself from his son.

Tony groaned, kicked the box under the table and buried his face in his hands.

‘Remember Tony, he wants what is best for you. He loves you, even though he may not directly say it.’ She patted her son on the back and walked to the elevator to greet her husband. Tony moved his hand through his hair so it would look less like a hurricane had ran over it before getting up himself. He didn’t follow his mother to the elevator but just stood there, eyes slightly narrowed.

‘Howard, Tony is here!’ Maria spoke the moment the doors opened. Tony puffed his chest slightly as he watched his father exiting the elevator, glancing at his son.

Howard was looking as professional as he had in Tony’s memories. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie, hair smoothed back on his head and a stern look on his face. Tony couldn’t help but notice that his hair had gotten greyer since the last time he had seen him, giving away that even a man of his greatness didn’t have infinite youth.

‘Anthony.’ Howard dipped his head at his son, entering the living room. Tony rose his chin lightly, not planning on being the first to break eye contact.

‘Dad.’ He said back, a little sharp. Maria’s expression dropped and she patted Howard on the shoulder so he would look at her. Tony saw her making a sharp movement with her hand, mouthing something at him, clearly a little pissed by her husband’s cold treatment towards Tony. Howard looked up at his son again, somewhat annoyed, and approached him.

‘Good to see you again, son.’ He held out his hand as if Tony was a business partner with whom he was making a deal. Tony bit his teeth, but politely took his father’s hand and shook it.

‘Same to you.’

Maria walked up to them, smiling again, probably hoping her cheerfulness would infect her son and husband.

‘Howard, how about you tell Tony what job you have for him?’ She placed one hand on Howard arm, and the other on Tony’s. She looked from one to the other, her lips pulled up in a warm smile. Howard glanced at her for a split second, before nodding and motioning Tony to sit down. The brunet did as he was told and Howard took place in a chair opposite of the couch.

Tony furrowed his eyebrows, and eyed his father, looking deep into his eyes. He knew he had gained his perfect poker face from him, which allowed both of them to look stern and cold whenever they felt like it. But as he himself had this ability, he was also able to look through it. And Tony was surprised to see some happiness shining in his father’s eyes.

This cut the brunet off track. Since when was his dad happy to see him? From what he remembered, he had always seen slight annoyance whenever Tony interrupted him in his work, or just plainly entered the room he was in himself.

He glanced at his mother for a split second, thinking about what she had said. ‘What’s best for you’. Tony frowned to himself. Being broke couldn’t possibly be ‘the best’ in Howard’s eyes, so what was his deal?

‘Alright, Anthony-‘

‘Tony. Call me Tony.’ The brunet interrupted his father, who knew damn well Tony didn’t like to be called ‘Anthony’. It was to formal, and formal was not included in his personal dictionary.

Howard straightened his back and nodded, furrowing his eyebrows for a second as he eyed his son.

‘Tony, since the happenings of… the last year,’ he moved his right hand in a circle, indicating Tony’s situation with the college and jobs, ‘I want to offer you a job here, at Stark Industries.’ He leaned back in the chair, his arms resting beside him. Tony narrowed his eyes and leaned in a little.

‘You offered me this before, and the answer is still no.’ His voice got quiet, hard. Tony didn’t want to work for his father. He would have to see him every day and listen to his every command. If Howard being his dad wasn’t bad enough, him being his boss would make it even worse.

Howard furrowed his eyebrows again. If Tony was going to play the cold game, he wouldn’t bow down for him and play it even better.

‘Shouldn’t you let me explain the job, before jumping to conclusions?’ He asked, his voice giving the idea he didn’t even have the patience to explain himself.

‘If you insist.’ Tony replied, carelessly. He entwined his fingers, elbows leaning on his knees as he stared at his father. He wasn’t planning on taking the job, but he was somewhat interested in what his father had to say in an attempt to change his mind. Tony didn’t want to work in an office, which was most likely the job Howard had in mind for him, because this was also what he had offered before. Tony rather ended up on the street than being locked away in a crowded office all day long.

Howard broke eye contact with his son and looked at Maria for a second, who was starting to become inpatient. She nodded at him, encouraging him.

‘The job will grant you access to the workshop, and you will be expected to help me with my projects from Monday to Thursday. For the remaining days, you will get time to work on your own inventions. You’ll get your own apartment in the building, meals will be served on request and Stark Industries will sponsor your personal projects.’

Tony felt himself freeze up. He stared at his dad in disbelieve, not able to speak for a few awkward seconds. Was this for real?

What his father had just offered him was his dream job, except for the part that he had to help Howard. He could work on his own projects, no limitations as he had his father’s fortune to his hand. He would no longer have to worry about financial problems, would start enjoying his life again.

And not only could this opportunity help him out of his financial problems. It would also secure his personal safety. Sleeping in motels and being outside most of the day had taught him how dangerous the streets could be at night, and he’d had to run for his life more than once. Taking this job would mean no more danger, company that didn’t stay with him just for his money, and a bright future. Because he knew that, if he would work under his father, maybe even invent some things, university invitations and job request would start pouring in in just a matter of months. And in that moment, he even considered the possibility of taking over Stark Industries. He wasn’t even sure if Howard saw him as a suitable heir, but he could prove himself worthy. As the only offspring in the Stark bloodline, he would, legally, be the first one to be given the opportunity to take it over once his father became unfit to continue managing a company of this size.

And how bad could his chances be, as his father offered Tony a job alongside him, himself? That had to mean Howard saw something in Tony which drove him to the decision of not giving the job to just some stranger. Tony felt a warm feeling growing in his gut as he realised this.

But it sounded too good to be true. Why would he suddenly decide this? Something must have driven him to the point that he wanted to give his son another chance. And Tony had to admit, he had been a real pain towards his father. He could’ve been a much better son, and still, Howard offered him a job that could change his life for the better.

Maybe his mother was right after all. ‘He wants what’s best for you’.

‘What’s the catch?’ Tony asked anyway, sounding like he didn’t trust his father’s proposal. Yet, his voice had clearly gotten less colder, less hostile. Howard only smirked at his sons response, not at all surprised. He had expected this, and it kind of amused him.

The ageing man shot a glance at his wife, who nodded with a chuckle. They had something planned.

‘The only catch is from your mother, who wants you to join her and me for dinner every Friday.’ He spoke, the left side of his mouth slightly pulled up in an amused grin.

Tony gaped at them again for a few seconds.

‘Really? That’s all? Why do you suddenly want me to work with you? You’ve never allowed me down with you in your workshop before.’ He was really suspicious about it all, but as he looked over from his father to his mother, he felt his heart melt a little.

His mother seemed so happy. She couldn’t stop smiling, looking at him with hope shining in her eyes.

Howard sighed silently.

‘Your mother and I don’t want you to end on the street. You are smart, Tony, and we don’t want you to waste your life. We think that if you came working here, you could at least get a good start on finding your true potential.’ He looked at his wife, not able to look Tony in the eyes. The brunet could see this wasn’t easy for his father, as he was even worse in speaking about his emotions than him, but this also assured Tony that his father was being honest.

Tony grinned slightly, sitting up a little.

‘That’s… uh… thoughtful.’ He said awkwardly, gaining a chuckle from his mother.

‘Will you come work here?’ Maria asked, her hand grasping around her husband’s arm in both excitement and nervousness.

Tony looked her in the eyes for a few seconds, and smiled.

‘Yea. That would be great.’

Maria sighed in relief and stood up to embrace her son in a hug. Tony welcomed her, and was overwhelmed by the realisation how much he had actually missed his mother.

To Tony’s surprise, even his father somewhat joined them, by placing one hand on Maria’s back and one on Tony’s, smiling to himself.

‘Welcome home Tony.’


	11. Angry habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Tony has a surprising way of reacting when he is angry.
> 
> Wordcount: 878
> 
> Warnings: none

‘Steve, what did you do!?’ 

Tony placed both his hands on his messy hair as he passed Steve, walking into his own workshop that now looked like the lab of an unexperienced inventor. Most of Tony’s stuff was blown away towards the wall or simply fallen over, and in the middle of the room was just one big black spot. The desk, or what used to be a desk, was blown to pieces, and the shards of the furniture had launched through the entire room, damaging the stuff that had supposedly been out of the explosions reach.

Steve stood completely frozen like a scared puppy, an innocent and upset look on his face.

Tony had told Steve to stay out of the workshop. The engineer had been working on a new invention, or rather an upgraded version of the arc reactor, for a few weeks now. But the device was really unstable, and Tony had still been trying to fix what was wrong with it, to no success thus far. 

So, for safety reasons, he had told Steve to stay clear from his workshop for a while. While telling this, he had been altering the design of the reactor on his tablet, and ended up forgetting to give a legit explanation as to why.

And Steve, being the curious puppy he was, decided he didn’t like it that Tony kept a secret from him, and went down that same day to investigate.

Now, it wasn’t that Steve just burst into the room or anything like that. He made sure to be as quiet as possible, neatly closing the door of the workshop behind him and telling Jarvis to not inform Tony on what he was doing. 

At first, there was no real problem. Steve had just walked around, looking for anything that was off, until he saw the device Tony had been working on, just lying on the desk in the middle of the room.

But, instead of trying to figure out what it was, the blond noticed it looked a lot like the arc reactor Tony needed to stay alive. And being the overprotective and extremely worried boyfriend he was, Steve instantly imagined Tony removing the reactor to work on it and forgetting to place it back and now laying somewhere in the building, slowly dying because of the scrapnel in his chest.

So without thinking, the super soldier had grabbed the glowing device and tried to dash for the stairs, but even before he could have even made it two steps, the device had started to glow brighter than before, and the temperature of it rose so quickly that Steve dropped it in surprise as it suddenly started burning his hands.

Steve, who had seen bombs and grenades explode before more than a couple of times, realised what was going on and instinctively kicked the thing away from him before diving behind the biggest object he could find in a time-span of two seconds, just avoiding the blast from doing harm to his body.

‘I’m sorry Tony, I didn’t know…’ Steve spoke sadly, but Tony quickly turned around and interrupted him, clearly pissed off.

‘No! Steve, I fucking told you to stay clear of the workshop! But hey, my bad, it was my fault that I believed you would actually listen!’ He turned his back to Steve again, padding through the mess and kicking some rubbish over and mumbling things to himself.

‘Damnit… This will take ages to repair… I don’t even remember how this was made… For god’s sake, I hope Jarvis still has the blueprints…’ 

He shook his head to himself, then violently jerked his head to Steve again and padded over to him angrily.

‘Do you have any idea what you did?! I have been working on that reactor for weeks! I had almost fixed that piece of scrap! And worst of all, do you even realize that you almost blew yourself up!?-‘ Tony started scowling at Steve, poking his index finger into the super soldiers chest, until his voice suddenly became a bit deeper, and he switched from speaking English to Italian. 

Steve’s mouth fell a little open as he stared down on the angry brunet, who was just scowling at him in full Italian, probably not even aware of what he was doing. He swung his arms in the air, moved his hands through his hair, and froze when he finally realized what he was doing. 

His expression was filled with horror over his own action, and he stared at Steve in pure shock. 

But the blond was no longer looking surprised himself. Instead, he was smirking from ear to ear. The super soldier wrapped his arms around Tony and drew him close so their noses almost touched, the smug smile still on his face. 

‘You’re adorable.’ Steve purred, extremely amused by Tony’s outburst. He pecked the brunet on the nose, and Tony furrowed it in response, pulling his head back. He was clearly embarrassed by his little act, as his gaze was stern, but his cheeks slightly flushing.

‘I swear to god, if you tell anyone about this-‘ Tony began, but Steve shushed him by giving him a smooch on the lips, still smiling brightly.

‘It’ll be our little secret.’


End file.
